Have news about HIV? Send press releases, news tips and other announcements to news@poz.com.

June 29, 2012

Legal Medical Marijuana Does Not Increase Pot Use by Teens

New research suggests legalizing marijuana doesn’t make kids abuse the substance or move on to other drugs, Business Insider reports. D. Mark Anderson at Montana State University led the study. According to data from Monitoring The Future, which was cited in the study, marijuana use increased sharply nationwide after 2005. Opponents said this was because of the legalization of medical marijuana in states like California. However, when researchers analyzed information on patients who tested positive for marijuana, the data showed that teens didn't abuse marijuana more after it was legalized in their home states. For example, teen marijuana use in California, where it's legal, didn't spike higher than in Ohio, where it's not. Marijuana has provided an alternative relief to many patients HIV/AIDS symptoms.

(Note: The POZ team reviews all comments before they are posted. Please do not include either ":" or "@" in your comment. The opinions expressed by people providing comments are theirs alone. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Smart + Strong, which is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by people providing comments.)

J. Combs, Gaithersburg, 2012-07-05 19:07:38
I do use the herb to "take the edge" off my neuropathic pain in my legs and feet. Other pharmaceutical drugs have mean side effects, and can be addictive. My MD has been taking care of PWA and HIV+ patients for years, and approves of my decision/choice to make use of marijuana. She says she's not known of anyone becoming addicted, killing someone or other problems that are related to alcohol, tobacco and even many pharmaceuticals. I mainly use in the evening to sleep better.

Greg H, Davenport, FL, 2012-07-03 12:14:12
I don't use marijuana, but as a person who is resistant to pain meds, I'd like to have it as an option, should I need pain management in the future. Teens will do what teens will do, and comparing drugs, marijuana seems far less harmful than alcohol.